You can build a closet in your bedroom on your own.
Building a closet in your bedroom is necessary when you have run out of closet or storage space. It is the kind of project that requires planning, preparation and precision for the closet to come out in working condition. Choose a space in your bedroom that has a three-walled alcove and begin the project in this area. Not only does this lessen the amount of work you have to do for framing and walls, it also provides you with added security -- three walls that were built by a professional builder. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Preparation
1. Measure the area from the top out portion of the wall and the two outer sides, and mark this area with masking tape. Stretch a chalk line over the masking tape, snap it and use a utility knife and a straight edge to cut through the tape, the carpet and the carpet padding.
2. Pull up the carpet and padding, and set to the side for later use.
3. Loosen the baseboard with a small pry bar and wide putty knife and remove it from the walls. Keep these materials to replace after the closet has been built.
Build the Frame
4. Place a bottom plate from a 2-by-4 on the corner of the concrete and the carpet and use a masonry bit to drill a hole through the wood and into the concrete as a starting point. If your bedroom is not on the bottom floor, you will drill the hole into a wood floor instead of concrete.
5. Remove the bottom plate and wrap a piece of electrical tape around the drill bit to prevent drilling a hole that is too deep into the concrete. The hole in the concrete should be as long as the lag shield you will be using, so place the shield next to the drill bit too see where you need to place the electrical tape. When the black tape reaches the concrete, you know you have gone far enough.
6. Place the lag shield into the hole you just drilled and hammer it until the top is flush with the rest of the concrete.
7. Place the bottom plate 2-by-4 back over the hole so the holes line up and insert the lag screw, tightening with a socket wrench. Repeat the same process to install the top plate 2-by-4 onto the ceiling directly above the bottom plate you just installed.
8. Measure the distance on the wall between the top and bottom plates, using a tape measure, and create two wall studs from the 2-by-4 wood, using a chop saw for straight ends on both sides.
9. Secure one stud against the wall in between the top and bottom plates and the other stud in between the top and bottom plates on the opposite side. To do this, pre-drill pilot holes diagonally into the top and bottom plates through the edges of the studs, and then insert drywall screws. Add rigidity with a horizontal brace in between the studs.
10. Measure the distance in between the two studs to use for cutting the wallboard. Mark the dimensions on one side of the wallboard using a pencil and score along that line using a straight edge and a utility knife. Turn the board over and fold it back along the score you just created and cut along the fold with the utility knife to separate the pieces.
11. Place the wallboard against the outside of the framing and secure it with drywall screws, ensuring the screws are deep enough so that the heads are just below the surface, but not too deep to damage the sheetrock.
12. Repeat the same process to create framing on the opposite side of the closet against the other wall.
Prepare for the Closet Doors
13. Level the inner sides of the frame and top portion of the closet to ensure they are vertical, as well as the top portion of the closet is horizontal.
14. Measure the distance between both sides of the frame and cut a piece of 2-by-4 to create the door jamb.
15. Insert shims in between the door jam in any area that is not level. Nail the jambs through the shims once it is level, scoring the shims with a utility knife and snapping them off once everything is in place.
16. Measure the thickness of the closet door and mark the measurement on the door jambs using a combination square and a pencil. Nail narrow molding strips along the marks so that the doors are not able to open inward.
Clean Up and Door Installation
17.Seal the joints in between the wall and the frame using perforated joint tape along the seam, pressing it into the corners.
18. Apply joint compound onto the perforated joint tape into the holes with a putty knife to flatten and smooth the area. This can later be sanded if it dries rough.
19. Cut a piece of mitered door casing that is equal to the height of the door jamb to conceal the area between the door frame and the wall. Place the casing along the frame and move it back toward the wall 1/8 inch; nail it in place with a nail gun.
20. Place nonmortised hinges onto the closet doors and pre-drill for the screws with a self-centering drill bit. Screw the hinges onto each door to secure them and drive more screws into the door jambs through the hinges to attach the doors to the closet.
Tags: bottom plate, bottom plates, utility knife, your bedroom, between bottom, between bottom plates, Measure distance